MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina on Thursday ruled out as untrue reports of Venezuelan gold having been transported to Russia in a passenger plane.

The unusual arrival of a Russian passenger plane in Caracas set social media abuzz on Wednesday with rumors after the Kremlin pledged to support its ally Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro against a U.S.-backed effort to drive him from office.

Venezuelan social media was alive with theories - that it had brought mercenaries, was there to escort Maduro into exile, or was loading up with gold. None of those theories was based on solid evidence.